Third, final reading of PUD order tonightThe Russellville will read for the third and final time, then vote on an ordinance that will rezone property on Marina Road at Jennifer Lane from residential (R-1) to planned unit development (PUD) during its July meeting at 6 p.m. today in City Hall. The Finance Committee will meet at 5:30. Voters on May 9 repealed an ordinance that rezoned property on Marina Way from R-1 to PUD and would have allowed construction of an assisted living facili...

ADEQ, City Corp. to meet in AugustThe general manager of City Corporation told the utility's Board of Directors that staff will meet with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) on Aug. 3 to start talking about possible changes to the current Consent Administrative Order (CAO). Steve Mallett explained they were not sure the ADEQ would go in that direction, but they were preparing for such action. "I sent an email to Alan Anderson outlining the steps we have tak...

City, ATU property deal on holdRussellville Mayor Randy Horton told the City Council during last week's Finance Committee meeting that a second environmental test has to be conducted on property owned by the city on North El Paso Avenue that Arkansas Tech University (ATU) is interested in buying. The council voted to split the cost with ATU to conduct the environmental test. Aldermen voted during their regular meeting to negotiate the sales price of property located on Nort...

APNewsBreak: US restoring asset seizures with safeguardsWASHINGTON— The Trump administration will soon restore the ability of police to seize suspects' money and property with federal help, but The Associated Press has learned the policy will come with a series of new provisions aimed at preventing the types of abuse that led the Obama Justice Department to severely curtail the practice. At issue is asset forfeiture, which has been criticized because it allows law enforcement to take possessions wi...

House budget blueprint boosts military, cuts food stampsWASHINGTON— House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled a budget that makes deep cuts in food stamps and other social safety net programs while boosting military spending by billions, a blueprint that pleases neither conservatives nor moderates. The GOP plan, authored by Budget Chairman Diane Black, R-Tenn., is critical to GOP hopes to deliver on one of President Donald Trump's top priorities — a Republican-only effort to overhaul the tax code. Uncl...

Commission tells director to pursue grant for ShilohThe Russellville Recreation and Parks Commission approved a recommendation from director Mack Hollis for him to apply for a matching grant to start the renovation of ball fields at Shiloh Park. Hollis told commissioners the upper field needed new lighting and hadn't been done in "decades." He said if the grant was awarded, the cost to the department would be about $95,000. He pointed out that the bathroom renovation couldn't be done through th...

Ward trials postponed until 2018DANVILLE -- The prosecuting attorney for the 15th Judicial District said separate trials for the former Yell County EMS director and secretary have been rescheduled for next year. Tom Tatum II said Special Circuit Judge Brad Karren, Division II judge for the 19th Circuit West, called his office and defense attorneys W.H. Taylor and John Everett and said there was too much discovery evidence to go through to have one trial for Donna Ward and Si...

Health plan hinges on the young, but they're a tough sellWASHINGTON — Julian Senn-Raemont isn't convinced he needs to buy health insurance when he loses coverage under his dad's plan in a couple of years — no matter what happens in the policy debate in Washington, or how cheap the plans are. The 24-year-old musician hasn't known a world without a health care safety net. But he hates being forced by law to get coverage, and doesn't think he needs it. "I'm playing the odds," said Senn-Raemont, who liv...

Slow down!With the recent opening of State Highway 124 as a five-lane highway, Pope County Sheriff Shane Jones reminded motorists that the posted speed limit on the state road is 55 mph. "We haven't seen any citations written, but we have received complaints of drivers doing at least 70 mph," he said Thursday. "Highway 124 is a wonderful new road for our citizens and will make the commute to and from town much better. I understand everybody wants to go ...

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BY SEAN INGRAMsean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Russellville Mayor Randy Horton: This is not a new tax"As of today, we do not have the money to open the Russellville Aquatic Center on January 1, 2018," Finance Director Jerry McKaughan told the City Council during its Finance Committee meeting last week. Earlier this year, it was estimated it would cost $400,000 to operate the Aquatic Center. Entry-level salaries for police officers and firefighters have not gone up in years. Both Police Chief Jeff Humphrey and Fire Chief Kirk Slone have discus...

Grease is a beast that can be containedCity Corporation, the water and wastewater utility for Russellville, needs your help to eliminate grease in the city's sewer lines. Why? In the long run, it will build up in your pipes and can completely clog them up, which will cause them to overflow. Clogged pipes can also send untreated sewage into local waterways. Bottom line: The damage to the environment and pipes can increase sewer rates and repair costs. Lance Bartlett, chief engineeri...

Barriers placed around collapsed building in downtown RussellvilleCity officials said fastened concrete barriers were placed around a building on North Commerce Avenue that collapsed after inclement weather last month. Community Development Director Brian Holstein and Mayor Randy Horton said Luke Duffield provided the concrete barrier blocks, which were installed Thursday by Mobley Construction. They are the type of concrete blocks that can be fastened and stacked fairly high. Building owners Jimmy and Amand...

City to look at convention center contractThe Russellville City Council's Finance Committee recommended Tuesday that the full council consider changing the proposed convention center original master developer contract a second time when it convenes July 20. During the council's January meeting, developer David Hunt of Hunt Services Inc. was granted an extension in the contract. A mandatory start day of July 1 and completion date of no later than Dec. 31, 2018, was added to the contrac...

Court OKs online sales tax resolutionThe Pope County Quorum Court unanimously approved a resolution during its monthly meeting that supported federal and state legislation to ensure the proper assessment and collection of sales tax from all internet or online sales. The Russellville City Council voted unanimously on a similar resolution during its June 13 meeting. The resolution stated the county recognized that legislation frequently referred to as the Marketplace Fairness Act o...

County alters job posting policyThe Pope County Quorum Court unanimously approved an ordinance that declared an emergency and amended the Personnel Policies and Procedures concerning vacancies. The policy change was discussed by the Personnel Committee during a meeting June 22. It stated when a vacancy occurs in a county position, notification of the opening shall be posted in each county office for five business days in order to give current employees an opportunity to firs...

JPs approve new system for county jailThe Pope County Quorum Court voted 11-0 during its monthly meeting Thursday to approve an appropriation request for $75,000 from Sheriff Shane Jones and Detention Center Capt. Rowdy Sweet to purchase a new inmate processing system. Jones and Sweet told the Budget Committee prior to the full court meeting that the current system, Psalms, has been in use since 1999. Jones said he had not had good luck with customer service for the system, so the...

ADEQ inspects rendering plant,wastewater lagoons cause smell and confusionThe Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) said it will revise a complaint report filed after an inspector visited Premium Protein Products (PPP) in response to an odor complaint last month. The June 22 report stated the inspector visited the Bernice Avenue rendering plant and determined there were no violations at the plant. The inspector also stated in his report that an odor he detected was coming from the pretreatment ponds at...

Building owners await the results of inspectionThe owners of a building on North Commerce Avenue that collapsed last month are waiting on results from a weekend inspection. Betsy McGuire, Main Street Russellville executive director, said Thursday she and city officials are still waiting for a report from an architect and structural engineer that inspected the former Leonard's Hardware building at 118 N. Commerce. The owners are Jimmy and Amanda Armstrong of the building, which housed a vin...

Commissioners look at office spacesThe Russellville Advertising & Promotion Commission called a special meeting last Friday to look at some available office space on South Commerce Avenue. Executive Director Christie Graham said one building with 875 square feet would be leased at a cost of $625 per year or $675 for two years. Two other buildings would be in the $900 per year lease range. Alderman Robert Wiley asked why couldn't the church building, located behind City Hall the...

O Street could open next weekThe director of Russellville Public Works said Friday that the O Street renovation project could open for traffic next week. "That's our target date. Our goal is to get it open to traffic as soon as possible," Kurt Jones said. "There's been some scheduling involved in the rest of the asphalt being poured. Right now we are concentrating on getting it open. Everybody is anxious to start using it again." Jones said after some asphalt work is fini...